Set in the 1950s in the village of Abbeymead, Sussex, the Bookshop Murder has bookshop owner Flora Steele and reclusive crime fiction writer Jack Carrington join forces when the dead body of a young man, a guest at the village's Priory Hotel, is found in Flora's bookshop, in the rare books section. The police dismiss the death as a result of a heart attack but Flora is not so sure and is determined to find out the truth when the news and corresponding gossip threatens to derail her bookshop business. When a few days later a local gardner, who is employed at the Priory Hotel, is also found dead in a similar manner, Flora and Jack are convinced that something is dangerously amiss. As they investigate they slowly uncover secrets that are held in the Priory Hotel, secrets of a Tudor era treasure hidden by the original owners of the Priory estate during the reign of Henry VIII.... a treasure worth killing for.

The Bookshop Murder is the first book in a brand new cozy mystery series and I simply breezed through the book and enjoyed it. Well written and entertaining, I really liked the banter and teamwork between Flora and Jack and since it's based in the 1950s, the sleuthing is all pure brain work. I look forward to reading more of the series and seeing how far things go for both the protagonists.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture and the author Merryn Allingham for the e-Arc of the book.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

“There’s more than one person hiding secrets in Abbeymead…”

Whilst the period of the ‘Golden Age’ of detective fiction, is recognised as encompassing predominantly the decades of the 1920s and 1930s, the scope of the genre can also be extended to other decades and I personally think that The Bookshop Murder, whilst set in 1955, is good to qualify for a number of reasons, not the least of which being that Flora mentions in passing, having recently had a very successful window display of books in her shop, by the best selling author Agatha Christie! Mind you, given that I was born a mere three years after bookshop owner, Flora Steele’s first foray into the world of amateur sleuthing, I’m not so sure that I am ready to think of myself as ‘Golden Age’!

I usually hope for four key elements to make that storyline just perfect: A beginning which gets right to the heart of things; a storyline which is well paced, seamless and fluid; an ending which is conclusive and ties up all those nasty little loose ends; and a protagonist who can’t be dead. The Bookshop Murder is textbook perfect in every way, although Flora does only manage to stay alive by the skin of her teeth and with a little help from a youngster who, luckily for her, is far too observant for his own good!

From my perspective, the combination of a bookshop owner and a crime fiction author, is an ideal combination for an amateur sleuthing team and after a few minor teething problems, Flora and Jack are beginning to gel quite nicely together. A rather taciturn, considered and reclusive Jack, is the perfect foil for Flora’s rather open, garrulous and impulsive nature. In fact, at times it was Flora who took the lead in their very unofficial investigation, making the storyline feel much more grounded in the present times of equality, than it actually was.

When a rather uncooperative police force don’t consider it necessary to investigate a couple of seemingly unrelated sudden deaths, in this small Sussex village, Flora feels compelled to step in and check things out for herself, as the effects of finding a dead body in her bookshop has rather ‘killed’ her custom! Poor Jack is drawn into Freya’s plans rather unwittingly and definitely against his better judgement, but actually discovers that he quite enjoys the notion of being involved in a crime, rather than writing about one. Still recovering from something of a broken heart, Jack also fights hard to resist the naive charms of a much younger Flora, but he fails dismally and has to cede to the mutual attraction he knows is blossoming between them.

They do say that ‘money is the root of all evil’ and that certainly seems to be the case as Flora and Jack finally unmask their gold-digging, treasure seeker, although the carnage this cold and calculating person leaves in their wake, together with the unnecessary loss of life, makes this a heinous crime in the truest sense of the word, especially as a forceful Flora is destined to be yet another of their ‘collateral damage’ statistics.

This multi-layered storyline, has been skilfully structured and executed with consummate ease and confidence, by an author who knows exactly in which direction she wants to take her readers and how she would like them to engage with her characters along the way. The narrative is lovely and textured and with some well placed added visual imagery to the words, Merryn has created a story which is rich in atmosphere, offers a real sense of time and place, putting the reader front and centre of the action and completely at ease. There are also one or two lighter, more playful interludes of interaction between Jack and Flora, which Merryn treats in a beautifully relaxed manner, whilst being able to ramp up the action again at a moments notice.

Merryn has created a multi-faceted, well drawn and defined cast of characters who, whether they are on the side of good or bad, are authentically realistic to the times and genuinely believable in the individual roles which have been created for them. Drawn from a diverse cross-section of society, they are relatable and easy to connect with, with some excellent dynamics and synergy ensuing between them. Although naturally, you have to pass the all important ‘do you fit into the community?’ test and be prepared to have your lifestyle examined to the nth degree first. The characters have then been given a strong enough voice, that they are able to direct and guide the storyline, with just the gentlest of author nudges every now and then. Jack and Flora made a great team within the wider community, balancing each other out, as they played to their individual strengths, and worked their way logically through all the possibilities of the case, which was well grounded in the facts of history, never making it too far-fetched.

The scope of my reading generally covers all the ‘e’ words, so for The Bookshop Murder, that would definitely include: Engagement; Enjoyment; Entertainment; Escapism and Emotion.

I can’t wait for the next book in this series. There are a couple of different paths the next storyline could take for Flora and Jack, and I need to know which one each of them chooses, whilst hoping that it will be the same one, as they became an addictive tour de force!

A good start for a new mystery series set in the 1950’s in a small English village called Abbymead. Flora runs a bookshop, inherited from her Aunt Violet. The bookshop Is already struggling when a dead body is found in the stacks. The crime author, Jack, was in the shop at the time, unusual since he is basically a recluse. Jack teams up with Flora to solve the murder, and a new partnership is formed. I look forward to the next installment, and thank NetGalley for the ARC.

OK, I'm a sucker for this kind of book. Historical setting (in this case the 1950s)? Check. Set in a bookshop? Check. Amateur sleuths? Check. Oddball characters in a small village? Check.

Bookshop owner Flora Steele enlists the help of reclusive local author Jack Carrington when a young man is found dead in her beloved store. As customers stay away and the shop faces financial ruin Flora and Jack investigate when the local police declare the death as natural causes. A second body and tales of hidden treasure keep the sleuthing duo on the trail...

The first in what will hopefully become a series, this is a charming and escapist work of crime fiction. Just put your feet up and forget about everything else for a few hours.

(Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

Bookshop owner Flora Steele escapes the sleepy English village of Abbeymead through the adventures in the stories she sells. Until one morning, everything changes when she discovers a body amongst her own bookshelves...

My first three stars! Don't get me wrong, I liked the book, enjoyed it too! But it was a sofa read, rather than an armchair one (if that makes sense).

I could have put it down and stepped away to do something else and come back to it, rather than the all-encompassing draw that some novels have where you can't tear your eyes away. However, I didn't, as objectively it was still a good book!

I loved the premise and the setting in the 1955 English countryside with a good helping of amateur sleuthing - I do love a period drama murder mystery, which was what originally drew me to this book. Flora, the owner, is a strong female lead, and Jack Carrington, the local recluse, is initially an enigma though you find more about him as the case develops. As more happens throughout the tale, you do find yourself guessing at the solution and 'whodunnit'!

An enjoyable read, if not my favourite of this year. I would like to read the second one when it comes out and hopefully, the pace will be a little faster!

My thanks to NetGalley, Merryn Allignham and Bookouture for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐ -- Annoying lead character

This book was okay. I really liked the setting and the time period. I don't think I have read many "cozy" type mysteries set in the 50s. I also enjoyed the mystery and really liked Jack. However, and this was a huge issue for me...I could not stand Flora. OMG, I am sorry for saying this, but she was an obnoxious, know it all moron. 😂 It started with the whole going to look for a cake that had been thrown out by the hotel TWO WEEKS earlier. Then searching the room for CRUMBS of said cake so the police could test for poison. From crumbs. In a hotel room. Two weeks later. I just never could get past that. 🤷🏻‍♀️

**ARC Via NetGalley**

The Bookshop Murder (A Flora Steele Mystery Book 1) was a fun cozy mystery that drew me in instantly. It has a nice 1955 English countryside setting and as the story begins, Flora Steele owns a bookshop in the small village of Abbeymead. She inherited the bookshop from her late Aunt. One morning one of her patrons and crime author Jack Carrington discovers a body in the back of the bookstore. Upon investigating the local police write the death off as a heart attack but Flora suspects it was something more. It doesn’t make sense for the victim to have been in her bookshop after hours plus he was young and was visiting from Australia. Flora convinces Jack to help her get to the bottom of things since he’s a crime writer and so the amateur sleuth investigating begins. Pretty soon the plot thickens as a second body turns up. Danger seems to lurk around the corner as Flora and Jack continue their investigating.

As I mentioned, I enjoyed this whodunnit and found that the mystery, the characters and the pace of the storyline made this a quick and easy read. The author includes plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. I had no idea who was to blame for the murders and I liked where the author took the storyline as far as the mystery went. Flora and Jack were likeable characters and as the story flowed I was invested in where their personal relationship if any would go. The small town bookshop setting was also a plus. There’s always something cozy about an independent bookstore.
I recommend this one to fans of cozy mysteries! I wouldn’t mind picking up book two in the series once it’s out.

The Bookshop Murder was a great read! The protagonists are both amateur sleuths – a librarian/bookshop owner (Flora) and a crime writer (Jack). They had enough connection with the murder (at Flora’s bookshop) to justify why they would get involved in the investigation, which I always like.

The book set in 1955, and I enjoyed getting a peek at English village life at that time, with the impacts of the war still being felt.

Flora and Jack’s friendship was also fun to see develop, from their first meeting at the start of the book to them starting to admit to a mutual admiration later on. This is the first book in a planned series, and I’m looking forward to seeing how their friendship continues to grow – I’ll definitely be picking up book 2!

Flora heads to work expecting it to be a day like every other in her bookshop All’s Well. But then a strange man enters and she learns that it’s her best customer, and local recluse, Jack Carrington. As she’s putting together his order, they’re both surprised to find the body of a man in the shop. But how did he get there? Who is he and how did he die?

As rumours about his death circulate around the village, Flora is sad to realise the impact it’s having on her business. Determined to find out what actually happened to the young man, and dispel any rumours about the shop, Flora enlists Jack to help her in her investigations. But as they start delving they find there are more secrets within the village than they expected, and when another death occurs, they realise there’s much more to it that they first realised. But will they uncover the truth before anyone else becomes a victim and will they both make it through unscathed?

This is a brilliant cozy mystery with a pair of fantastic lead characters. Flora is a resilient, strong, hardworking and determined woman who you can’t help but love. She is stubborn and persistent which helps her with her investigation, but she’s not free of past emotional turmoil. Jack is a mysterious character at first, but as you learn about him you will understand him and come to love him too. They are a brilliant pair who work well together, balancing each other out and I hope we’ll see much more of these two in future books!

The setting is wonderful. A small English village in Sussex, 10 years after the end of World War II with a fantastic community who are still recovering from the implication of the war. I love the way people get on and support each other and local businesses, although the opposite can also be said for some of the villagers in this! The descriptions of the village are fantastic and will help to bring the story to life, as are the descriptions of the priory. I would love to visit. especially the library! And for all my fellow bibliophiles out there, you will love the talk of books in this. A cosy bookshop and a couple of magnificent with old, valuable tomes galore!

And finally the storyline. I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and how the mystery unravelled and the pieces fit together. I had many suspicions and always ended up getting the wrong end of the stick! The suspense in this is brilliant, and if you love a good cozy mystery/crime then you will love this. Most definitely recommended by me. I can’t wait for book 2!!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great storyline with excellent characters. I would highly recommend this book as it was a great read.

A delightful cosy mystery set in the Sussex village of Abbeymead, Merryn Allingham’s The Bookshop Murder is perfect for fans of Faith Martin and T P Fielden.

When Flora Steele opened up her bookshop one morning, she thought that it was going to be a typical day – she never imagined that she would find a dead body stacked next to the volumes she sells to the villagers of Abbeymead! Who is the young man with the shock of white-blonde hair currently residing amongst her shelves? Who killed him? And more to the point, who brought his dead body to her bookshop? Could there possibly be some kind of connection between Flora and the young man? Or is someone intent on sending Flora a sinister message?

With the reputation of her shop in tatters, Flora vows to do whatever it takes to solve this case, so she enlists the help of somebody who is an absolute expert in the subject: her best customer, reclusive crime writer Jack Carrington. Nobody knows more about murder than Jack and as the two join forces, they begin to look into the case of the dead young man. But are they prepared for what they are about to uncover?

As their investigation takes them down plenty of surprising and unprecedented paths, Flora and Jack find themselves going all the way to The Priory Hotel where another dead body is found! Could the two cases be connected? Or could somebody at the hotel be responsible for the second murder? As the case gets more and more complicated, Flora and Jack need to trust their instincts, follow all the clues and get ready for the shock of their lives when they realise that life is far from quiet in the charming English village of Abbeymead…

Cosy mystery fans are going to charmed by Merryn Allingham’s The Bookshop Murder. A clever, witty and fun read full of terrific period details which make the 1950s come to life, The Bookshop Murder features a delightful pair of sleuths I loved spending time with. Flora and Jack are a brilliant duo who complement each other well and I am keeping my fingers firmly crossed they will get to go on more adventures in the not too distant future.

An addictive and absorbing cosy mystery aficionados of the genre will thoroughly enjoy, Merryn Allingham’s The Bookshop Murder is a brilliant whodunnit readers should not miss!

‘The Bookshop Murder’ is an enjoyable cozy mystery set in rural England in the 1950s. Flora Steele owns a bookshop in a quiet village where nothing exciting ever happens. That is until a body is found in her shop. When rumours start flying Flora’s livelihood begins to suffer, so finding out why the body was there becomes vital. With the help of local author Jack Carrington she begins to investigate and finds that her seemingly sleepy village holds a multitude of secrets.

I love cozy mysteries, so I’m always on the lookout for a new series. This is the first in the Flora Steele Mysteries and I’ll be eagerly awaiting the next. The dynamic between Flora and Jack was engaging. They worked well together and there was a spark of something more. I’d like to see how that pans out in the future. The setting was perfect and the time period made it all the more interesting. A really enjoyable story, with the promise of more to come.

I was given this ARC for review.

How could I resist reading this book? A murder in a bookshop, I was hooked immediately!

This new series is classic cosy mystery as we get to meet Flora Steele who has inherited a bookshop from her Aunt Violet. The shop is situated in a small village called AbbeyMead, so imagine the scandal when a dead body is found in it.

Worried about the lack of customers after the body is found, Flora struggles to get answers. What follows is her attempt to solve the mystery.

This is a great read, that fits right in with other successful cosy mystery series, such as Agatha Raisin and Midsomer.

Loved the characters in this story and the description of the cute little village of Abbeymead. The storyline had a lot of potential, but I feel like it slowed a bit at times. Wish there was more of a deeper and enthralling telling of Flora and Jack’s amateur sleuthing. I would like to continue to read this series and hopefully book number two will be faster pace.

The Bookshop Murder by Merryn Allingham is a riveting cozy mystery, taking place in a Sussex bookshop. It is a Flora Steele Mystery, the first of many. Flora is the proprietor of a small bookshop called All's Well in the village of Abbeymead. It does not provide her with a huge income, but she gets by. She had inherited it and her cottage from her Aunt Violet, who had raised her. On this morning she has just met, Jack Carrington, a good looking, long-time customer, who normally had his books called for by a local boy. It turns out he is a writer, a crime writer, so he was the perfect person to discover the body in his shop, squirreled away, far in the back, behind many bookshelves. What exactly was he doing there?

The murder did not help her business any. In fact, some days she had none. So in the name of saving her livelihood, she enlisted Jack in the hunt for the murderer since the police believed the man had died of a heart attack. They made a good team and grew to like one another. Jack was kind of a hermit so Flora had to draw him out and he found he enjoyed it. He was stuck on his newest book anyway, so he had nothing better to do. It was a good mystery, if a little bizarre. It took some serious investigating as well as some good luck and some going with his gut. It was an enjoyable read, a throwback to earlier times and more traditional English fare. I am looking forward to more from Allingham.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Bookshop Murder by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

I knew nothing of Merryn Allingham before picking up The Bookshop Murder but from first glance, this book has so many of the things I love in books: a small little bookshop in the middle of a quaint little town? Absolutely! A young woman who runs it? Yes please! A murder mystery that will lead the way to an entire cozy mystery series? SOLD! And, in fact, this is the best first novel in a cozy mystery series that I've read! Merryn Allingham started this series out strong, and I will be watching for her next book in the series!

Flora owns All's Well, a bookstore in the middle of a quiet British county. After the death of her aunt, she's left trying to maintain the bookstore, and has put her dreams on hold. It isn't an easy job, and gets more difficult when a young man is discovered dead among the bookshelves. The police have ruled it a heart attack, but that seems an incredibly unlikely and unlucky end for a healthy twenty-one year old. The rumours keep more customers at bay and Flora sets her mind to discovering what really happened, at the very least to change the perception of her store. She enlists the help of one of her customers, the handsome but reclusive crime writer Jack, and together they start uncovering secrets that may just be leading them into further danger.

The Bookshop Murder was a perfect cozy mystery! The atmosphere of this small town was inviting, the characters were loveable, and the mystery itself was quite interesting. As the book drew to a close, the action got quite intense and I found myself breathing deeply and forcing myself to go back and read what my eyes had simply jumped over as I read quicker and quicker towards the ending. Even as I worked out what would happen, I was still thoroughly engaged and eager to keep reading!

To top it all off, the book had some new and fun vocabulary for me to learn. I marked 9 new words and their definitions down, and yet the book didn't seem to be too verbose or difficult to understand.

If you love a good cozy mystery, seek out The Bookshop Murder.

Sussex, England 1955 is when this charming first in a new series takes place. I found that the mystery was well written and kept a good pace. The characters are interesting and the setting is idyllic. There were a lot of characters but it didn't get overly confusing and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where this series goes.

When Flora finds a dead body in her book shop it's not good for business. Her only solution is to solve it and to prove to the villagers of Abbeymead that he didn't die by accident, but that it was murder.

With the help of the village crime writer, the two must work together, break some rules and try to stay out of danger.

The book shop murder is the first in the series by Merryn Allingham and I genuinely enjoyed it.
It was an easy read, just over 200 pages and a fast pace from the start.

Being a series you want it to be easy and enjoyable and Allingham does exactly that.

The characters are believable, the plot is realistic and the reader is rooting for the love interests from the start.

A really great first book to start this series, and I look forward to continuing it.

Kevin Anderson, an Australian, travelled all the way to England, found dead in Flora Steele's bookshop next to a broken window. For what looks like a murder to Flora but the police sees it a natural death. A dead body found in Flora's bookshop has badly affected her business. Flora eagerly needed to find out who is this Kevin Anderson from Australia is and the person who murdered Kevin and left her with a dying business.

The story started interesting, but later it felt boring for me quickly. But still I manage to finish it because I really want to know the truth of how Kevin ended up in Flora's bookshop and died there. The ending for sure is what I did not expect, but it's not a wow ending as well. So overall this is an okay read for me. If you like historical mystery, I think you will enjoy this more than I do.

Thank you so much Netgalley Bookouture for this ARC

Princess Fuzzypants here: Set in a rural English village in 1955, mystery author Jack meets bookstore owner Flora when he comes to pick up some books he has had on order. The days events prove momentous for both as not only do they discover over the course of the book they share a lot in common but one of those things is discovering a body in the bookshop. The corpse is a flashy young man from Australia who has been asking a lot of questions about the Priory which has recently been turned into a posh hotel.

At the heart of the mystery is a legend that may or may not be true. After the second body turns up and someone fires a crossbow at the two of them, both are beginning to believe the legend may be true and somewhere in the village, there is a treasure that has remained hidden since Tudor times. There is an interesting mix of local characters, some who are charming and others who are not so nice. The best is, however, the dawning of a relationship between the two main characters, both of whom are loners and not besotted youths who have come together in a cute way. It adds an extra bit of honesty with both being square pegs in round holes.

The police are loathe to think there is foul play but even they realize something is amiss. Still, it is up to Jack and Flora to nose around and try to figure out what it was that enticed the victim into breaking into Flora’s store. They do unravel the knots but not before Flora has put herself in a very dangerous position. Even she is aware of how reckless she was so it does mitigate her lack of judgement. It also leads to an exciting rescue. From what I see here, there is potential for an enjoyable new series.

Four purrs and two paws up.